Spiritual Empowerment
NC Main Street & Rural Planning Center tag Elon Community Church and Pastor Randy Orwig as 2023 NC Main Street Champion
The Elon Community Church and Pastor Randy Orwig, embody what the word champion means to Elon. Since 2021 Randy has been an Elon Town Council member and serves on the town’s Sustainability and Personnel Committees. Randy has fostered a partnership between the Elon Community Church, Town of Elon, and Elon University to support many events, initiatives, and community projects. Along with the church, Randy has been a community advocate providing facilities for meetings. This partnership has allowed the Town of Elon to use the church parking lot and grass area for several downtown events.
This past year, the Farmer’s Market, a staple in downtown, was at risk of being eliminated. Randy immediately partnered with the town to keep this program afloat by offering his time, facility, and resources to continue and grow this popular downtown program. Elon Community Church has also allowed public art on its front lawn in the core of downtown, and creation of a sidewalk and extension of the Town’s Social District onto its property.
Elon is thrilled to honor Elon Community Church and Randy Orwig as deserving recipients of its 2023 NC Main Street Champion award.
Parkway UCC in Winston-Salem to offer a three week series on Christian Nationalism
Thursday evenings, 6:30 pm
May 23, May 30, and June 6
+The first session will cover what Christian Nationalism is and its threats to democracy and the church.
+The second session will focus on our theological response and practical responses.
+The final session will explore ways to develop common ground in conversation with family members, neighbors, and friends.
Cuba Study Seminar 2024 Travelers Encounter Island Neighbor
By Rev. Tom Warren
On Friday, February 9th, nine members of the U.C.C. Cuba Study Seminar touched down in Havana, Cuba for a 10 day cultural immersion trip. Designed to teach participants about the history and culture of this beautiful Caribbean island, the trip is led by Rev. Tom Warren and Kim Miller of Peace UCC in Greensboro. This year’s trip included UCC members from churches in Ohio, Texas, and Pennsylvania.
Traveling by bus and guided by a bi-lingual tour guide, the seminar explored the capital city of Havana for three days; Santa Clara, the home of the Che Guevara National Monument, for one day; and Santiago in the east, Cuba’s second largest city, for four days. Along the way seminar participants had the opportunity to worship at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Havana, meet with Cuban doctors at a medical clinic, discuss religious freedom with a representative of the Cuban Communist Party, take in a choir concert, as well as enjoy local foods at various Cuban restaurants. Participants also visited San Juan Hill in Santiago, site of a key battle in the Spanish-Cuban-American War.
The highlight of each year’s trip is the time we spend with the Lavastida Christian Center in Santiago. Now in its 25th year of service, the Lavastida Center sponsors over 75 programs in and around the city of Santiago addressing various issues including domestic violence, food security, theological education, counseling, and gender issues, to name but a few. Both Peace UCC in Greensboro and the Pleasant Hill UCC church in Tennessee have partnerships with the Lavastida Center.
Cuba has been under a severe economic embargo imposed by the United States since 1960, and the evidence of its destructive impacts are clear. While Cuba has survived these painful 60+ years, since the pandemic -- which required the temporary suspension of their tourist industry -- long lines for fuel, food, and shortages of medicine are now a daily reality. As part of our trip, we talked with local Cubans about their struggles, hopes for the future, and how North Americans might best be in solidarity with the Cuban people.
Cuba is a nation of beautiful people who, despite the U.S. government’s historic tensions, have embraced our group and all Americans with open arms. The UCC Cuba Study Seminar, traveling each year to Cuba since 1980, is an ongoing effort at bridge building centered in our Christian faith. A 2025 trip is scheduled for January 10th-19th. Persons interested in seeing Cuba first hand are encouraged to contact Rev. Tom Warren at ucccubastudy@gmail.com.
Ashley Lecture Series 2024 – Catherine Meeks
Author / Racial Healing Leader / Midwife to the Soul
First Congregational Church (Hendersonville, N.C.)
March 9-10
Hendersonville: Catherine Meeks (PhD), is Former Founding Executive Director of the Absalom Jones Center for Racial Healing. Prior to the center's opening she chaired its precursor, Beloved Community: Commission for Dismantling Racism for the Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta. As always, the public is welcome.